Women's Experiences of Psychological Trauma during Childbirth

lt;p>Joan Lalor is a Professor in Midwifery in Trinity College Dublin. Joan was awarded a BNS (Hons), MSc, MA, PGDip in Clinical Health Science Education (Distinction) and PG Dip in Statistics (Distinction) and a PhD from Trinity College. More recently Joan has graduated from the Honorable Society of the Kings Inns with a Barrister at Law (BL) degree (2021), and a Diploma in Legal Studies (2019) and she is currently practising in the area of Tort Law and Medical Negligence. Joan's research contribution is organised around the following main areas: i) Complex issues in Childbirth including Birth Related Trauma, ii) Optimising maternity Services to improve outcomes iii) Research Methodology, Healthcare Ethics and Law. Joan was elected as a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin (FTCD) in April 2022. Joan currently leads a pan-European network, COST Action 18211: Perinatal Mental Health and Birth-Related Trauma: Maximising Best Practice and Optimal Outcomes. Ultimately, CA18211 is working towards an ideal universal standard of care to prevent and minimise birth trauma and optimise positive birth experiences. Joan's research across maternity care and law is focused on informing practice to optimise birth outcomes for women, families and key stakeholders.   

Dr Sylvia Murphy-Tighe is a midwife, public health nurse and Lecturer in Midwifery at the University of Limerick.  She is particularly interested in vulnerability, maternal and infant health, public health and community engagement. Her doctoral research was funded by the Health Research Board Research (Research Training Fellowship, 2013-2016) and she developed a grounded typology of concealed pregnancy as part of a re-conceptulisation of this sensitive phenomenon. She has brought The Spaces Between Us Visual Art Exhibition to Ireland from Australia in order to raise public awareness of concealed pregnancy, the tragic outcomes that can ensue and in order to develop sensitive policy responses for women and their families. Sylvia has been involved in community projects eg., the development of CWELL programme for a socioeconomically disadvantaged community in Limerick to gain access to a third level qualification (Community Wellbeing & Lifestyle). Sylvia is a co- investigator on the PART-IM project which is a participatory and arts-based approach for involving migrants in health research at UL and also leading an evaluation of training for public health nurses identifying and responding to domestic violence. She has several ISI publications and is a member of the Health Research Institute at UL. She is a member of the International Marce Society and the Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology. 

Chapter 1: Introduction: Defining trauma and psychological wellbeing.- Part 1 Maximising best practice and optimal outcomes -unexpected events.- Chapter 2 Fetal anomaly diagnosis.- Chapter 3 Interactions with caregivers: midwives and obstetricians.- Chapter 4 Concealed pregnancy and missed opportunities.- Part 2 Maximising best practice and optimal outcomes -complex family relationships and the interplay with birth related trauma.- Chapter 5 Associated impact of stress and trauma on women's birthing partners /father.- Chapter 6 Intimate partner violence- coercive relationships and its impact on women during and after pregnancy.- Chapter 7  Intergenerational trauma- Maternal stress during pregnancy and infant/child outcomes.- Part 3 Maximising best practice and optimal outcomes - optimising the birth environment and culture.- Chapter 8  The impact of care on maternal psychological wellbeing.- Chapter 9 Challenges in measuring anddeveloping effective interventions for birth related trauma.- Chapter 10  Respect and Choice in Birth: Are they a human right or a legal right?.- Chapter 11 Conclusion - Woman's voices/case studies/through my lens.